In the field of utility metering, the actual metering device (the “meter”) is a different mechanism than the counting and display device which shows a total to the user or customer. This counting and display device is called a “meter register.” Traditionally, these meter registers have been mechanical devices, with a tabulating mechanism and with a dial or an odometer for displaying units of consumption for a utility, such as water, electric or gas. The meter register is mounted on or in close proximity to the meter to provide a local display of a consumption total.
Today, there are at least two types of water meter registers, a basic stand-alone type that is designed to be viewed directly, and a pulse-generating type, which in addition to providing a local visual display, also transmits pulses representing units of consumption to other remote displays and to data collection and monitoring devices.
In the basic type of meter register, an ethylene propylene gasket is assembled between a glass portion and a metal base portion to form a seal. In Walding et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,103, an improvement is disclosed for the pulse-type meter register which uses an epoxy-based adhesive to join a glass lens portion to a metal base portion. The pulse-type register includes wires which exit the unit for connection to a remote display or monitoring unit, whereas the basic register does not include such wires and presents a simpler case for sealing.
In the southern United States, utility meters are often located outside of residential buildings, sometimes in subsurface enclosures. During rainy periods, these units may be subjected to extreme moisture conditions, and even submersion under water. There remains a need to provide a suitable seal in these conditions, such as offered by the epoxy sealing system described above, but at a lower cost of manufacture.
Therefore, there remains a need for better sealing methods and structures for meter registers and better methods of manufacture and assembly of these units.